About Paul Brandford

Event: You Are Here

Dates: 3 Mar 2018 - 6 Apr 2018

I curated a group show of seven artists, myself included, the gallery space being sufficiently expansive to allow each of the artists to exhibit a good number of works each. The exhibitors were all figurative artists, the exhibition was limited to painting and drawing, who shared an interest in personal expression but were at the same time highly disciplined in their approach to making work. The exhibition was designed to reflect the times that we live in and create a stimulating dialogues between the artists' work. My website contains a dedicated gallery of images for the exhibition.
The catalogue essay is also reproduced in the 'Writing' section.

Event: The World At War

Dates: 23 Oct 2016 - 29 Nov 2016

The art gallery in Stockport is unique in the UK in that it also contains the town's war memorial within it's building. My solo exhibition of drawings and paintings that had been produced around the theme of modern conflict. Works referred to the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq as well as the overthrow of Colonel Gaddafi.
A dedicated gallery of images can be found on my website.

Event: Royal Academy Summer Exhibition

Dates: 9 Jun 2014 - 17 Aug 2014

I was fortunate enough to have my painting of Sid James in uniform (from the film Carry On up the Khyber) with a Chinook helicopter behind accepted into the summer exhibition. It was a comment on the British Army's historical involvement in Afghanistan and also an opportunity for me to explore how ornamental uniforms might be painted.

Event: Monarchy in the UK

Dates: 7 Nov 2012 - 21 Dec 2012

An exhibition on the theme of the British Royal family bringing together a number of paintings made over an eight year period, some serious others humorous. Many of the paintings and drawings were based on imagery from newspapers which I collected at the time.

Event: Threaneedle Space Launch

Dates: 23 Mar 2012 - 31 Mar 2012

Threadneedle - the art prize sponsors had funded the renovation of one end of the Mall Galleries, to launch the space they put on an exhibition of all the artists who had featured (to date) in the Threadneedle Prize shortlists of which I was one. I exhibited two large paintings based on news reports from the disaster in Haiti in 2010

Event: The London Group

Dates: 20 Oct 2011 - 10 Nov 2011

My portrait of Rupert Murdoch was accepted into the London Group's annual exhibition at their Cello Factory space. At the time my paintings were painted with fingers and hands as much as they were with brushes.

Event: Enjoy Democracy Responsibly

Dates: 2 Dec 2010 - 23 Dec 2010

I curated this large group exhibition in the gallery at Lance Forman's smoked salmon factory in Hackney Wick. In many respects it was a forerunner to You Are Here. The artists were figurative and dealing with the anxieties of the time post economic crash of 2008. In addition to the painters and sculptors involved I also invited the political cartoonist Martin Rowson to show works giving the exhibition a distinctly political context

Event: We The People Salute Our Glorious Leaders Thus

Dates: 5 Sep 2010 - 3 Oct 2010

This was my first solo exhibition bringing together portraits of prominent personalities of the time (Robert Mugabe, Tony Blair, Prince Charles) along with images based upon events in Iraq. Jamie Robinson who curated the exhibition I remember picked out the most sinister looking paintings he could find.

Event: Threadneedle Prize

Dates: 20 Aug 2008 - 6 Sep 2008

I had two paintings selected for the exhibition - the very first Threadneedle Prize so there was a lot of PR surrounding it. One of my works called The Clothes Show - a portrait of Robert Mugabe and his generals was shortlisted for the big prize money. Each shortlisted artist did a film, there was a gala evening and winners were announced. Did I win ? The answer oddly is yes and no.